Best HWT you have ever seen

[Mainefan]

Originally Posted by bigvern77

He also wrestled for Romeoville, but yes a beast!

I have been watching since 1997, he is the best I've seen. Remembering that one year he was downstate, basically wrestling on one leg. I'm pretty sure he had a badly twisted ankle. The year he won it, he was the best combination of strength, speed, and ability that I've seen. Can't remember if that was his Soph or Jr year. His senior year he did not wrestle, to focus on football. Unlike his younger brother, I thought he was a much better wrestler than football player. Still, he was a heck of a football player.

[wrestlr89]

Originally Posted by Mainefan

I have been watching since 1997, he is the best I've seen. Remembering that one year he was downstate, basically wrestling on one leg. I'm pretty sure he had a badly twisted ankle. The year he won it, he was the best combination of strength, speed, and ability that I've seen. Can't remember if that was his Soph or Jr year. His senior year he did not wrestle, to focus on football. Unlike his younger brother, I thought he was a much better wrestler than football player. Still, he was a heck of a football player.

Steve Williams was a Junior at Bolingbrook when he won it. He was a sophomore at Romeoville when he placed. He took his Senior wrestling year off to prepare for college football (Indiana). He played for Kansas City & Caolina in the NFL.

[Jeffl219]

Kurt Bankson. My uncle who also attended Leyden was a year older than Bankson. Wrestled him everyday at practice and says what a beast he was.

[mckbln]

John Gurka, Joliet East. I am assuming this thread is about Illinois high school HWTs.

[headlockwrestling]

Carl Presley- Conant HS

[SIU Dog]

I can't say much about Gurka in 1975, he may have dominated. But in the semis in 1974 he was tied up with :15 left and on top. The Libertyville guy (Montgomery - a 215 type heavyweight) got to his feet, almost got away, kind of tripped to his side, and Gurka took him to his back with under :05 left to win by 2. Gurka won a one pointer in the finals. I had seen a lot more dominant heavys than what he was as a junior.

[oldude]

Yeah, I know, way too long ago but as an "oldtimer" I can't help but think of the following: Joe James ( Tilden Tech 3rd in state, National champ Oklahoma State) Larry Kristoff (Carbondale 2nd state, 2nd in the nation for SIU, Olympian) Bob Pickens (Evanston 1st, 2nd state, Olympian, pro footballer), Bob Billberg (Waukegan 1st state, small college champ and Morehead State D1 runnerup). There are others from that point and beyond but these guys were wrestlers to be reckoned with.

[Gantry]

Another vote for Hubert Thompson, so big and so strong.

[seank1]

I'm going to go with Wil Lepsi. Loved the way he wrestled at heavyweight. I've seen Boo Thompson, Marx, Pressley and Thompson was most certainly the best athlete of the bunch but I don't know if he beats any of these wrestlers. I was on two national teams with Rose and he came up big in big matches but he just wasn't impressive especially in the room. I just couldn't see Rose beating the others.

@Billy hey Jihad was an awesome 189lb in 1990 but he never wrestled heavyweight and he only did it for a year. He was ineligible his junior year at 171. He won class A for Lemont as a sophomore in 1988 at 167lb. I would not put him in the same class with the other heavyweights for the same reason I wouldn't put Kevin Nolan and Manganiello in there. Although if any of you had a street fight and you needed some heavies Mags and Hamden would be on my short list.